FFT : Java Glossary

FFT (Fast Fourier Transform). Analysing a
wave into its equivalent superimposed sine waves of various frequencies. You can
think of it as separating out a tone from its overtones mathematically. Joseph
Fourier (1768-03-211830-05-16 age:62)
was a French mathematician who proved this was always possible (It turned out later,
only under non-pathological conditions). Originally, to analyse sound in real time
required special purpose hardware, such that we used at the Human Dolphin Foundation
back in 1979 to analyse dolphin sounds. Today it can be
done routinely with off-the-shelf desktop computers.

Modems have special purpose hardware that do a form of FFT
to sort out the many-noted chords the modems use to talk to each other. By sending
chords for extended periods of time helps mathematically average out the static
noise.

Back in 1824 Fourier discovered the greenhouse effect
(when Marx was still only 6 years old). Svante Arrhenius,
the great Swedish chemist published his calculations in 1896 about how atmospheric CO₂
concentrations control the average global temperature and how certain amount
of CO₂
was needed to prevent an ice age.